Whilst this white cliff top town, situated in the Seine-Maritime department of Normandy, is approximately 2 hours 20 minutes from our base here in Sourdeval – it is well worth a visit. It can easily be explored in a full day or stay overnight and/or the entire weekend.
Étretat, amongst other things, is famous for its gardens that sit on the hill top looking out onto the cliff tops opposite. The gardens are immaculate with interesting sculptures but are most well known for the individual heads. They have become famous in their own right which individually and collectively, are a work of art.
Normandy Tourism website describes the history of the gardens here:-
“It was Madame Thebault, a famous actress of the early twentieth century, a close friend of Claude Monet, who, inspired by his love for the beautiful gardens, decided to plant the first tree on the virgin territory. Resolutely Avant-garde, the original spirit of the area has been preserved while providing a poetic dimension. It will delight both topiary and impressionism lovers as well as admirers of contemporary art.
Created by the landscape architect Alexandre Grivko from the IL NATURE firm, these are extraordinary and surprising works that perfectly complement the surrounding nature. Greenery sculptures are seemingly endless stretches of green tapestries to the sea below”
This cliff features heavily in Normandy tourism photographs and rightly so. It has been the inspiration for so many impressionist painters and was also the inspiration for the French Children’s author, Maurice Leblanc, who penned the famous book about Arsène Lupin, the gentleman burglar – from which some of you may be aware a very popular Netflix series has been made. It also had an episode where Étretat in the series. Not only that, you can visit the authors’ home whilst there and partake in a spot of burglary of your own! Great fun for all the family.
The cliff formation is truly impressive and is called the ‘Porte d’Aval’ (The Arch) and L’Aiguille (The Needle) which is a pillar rising up from the sea. There is even an 18 hole golf course on the cliff!
To get the most out of Étretat it is advisable to get there early (before 11 am in the morning) especially in the summer months as it can get very busy with tourists. Please be advised that whilst it is a ‘must visit’ and very beautiful place, Étretat is quite a physical location to visit so if you have any mobility issues, please consider this when planning your trip.
And for those of us who are not especially fit, the effort to get to the top of the gardens and cliff top is well worth it and it is downhill all the way back down! Or you may prefer to people watch on the many beach front cafés.
Don’t forget to bring your swimsuit and maybe some beach shoes, as this is a pebble beach!
As mentioned above, in the summer months parking can be tricky. We would recommend that you park at the train station before 11 am. There is a little train you can take to and from the town, however, this is not free. If you head out of the train station and turn left – shortly on the right you will come across some old steps. This is probably the easiest way to walk up to the gardens as you cannot drive there. It is still steep but not as steep from the beach front.
On the way back from the gardens, heading down to the beach front, there are steps you can take giving you a coastal view. There are plenty of steep steps and you will pass many an exhausted climber making their way to the top! Across on the other side of the beach, you will see people climbing to the top of the cliff face.
We hope you enjoyed this insight into the wonderful experience that is Étretat.
